The present invention relates to a contents managing method for regulating the number of replicated contents, such as music pieces and movies, that can be stored on a storage medium, and a contents managing apparatus which uses this method.
Conventionally, copy management has been performed on contents (works or the like). The copyright protection and the users' convenience have been balanced by managing the copy generation and the number of copies.
The concept of “moving” has emerged as a replacement of the copy management. Copying does not erase the original data, whereas “moving” transfers data to a different location (medium) and erases the original data. The copy protection by moving” has appeared to cope with the digitalization of contents and the popularity of networks or the like.
As it recently becomes possible to copy originals with high fidelity over a network or the like, the copy management alone cannot guarantee adequate copyright protection. Further, it is not possible to implement copyright control on unlimited moving of contents from one medium to another, e.g., distribution of data (by moving) for a business purpose.